The Mummy's Curse
by BeeJay98
Summary: One death is all it takes to drive a soul to madness. A little bit of Amumu backstory. M because, well, death.


**Was looking through the documents I had for The Heartseekers and found this. It is really just an alternative backstory for Amumu, which explains the origin of his curse. It actually originated from the music video for 'The Curse of the Sad Mummy' (Google it, good watching), where a shadowy wolf figure can be seen following him. I don't know what actually happened, but there is something between Kindred and Amumu, I know it!**

"Come on Amumu, don't be such a scaredy cat!" The young girl blew a raspberry in his direction, urging him on as they ran deeper into the forest. Amumu struggled to keep in sight of his red-haired friend, branches seeming to bend out of their way to impede him. Ducking under yet another low hanging vine, the two found themselves inside a clearing, the faster laughing at her male companion.

"Honestly Amumu, you should be faster than that, I easily could have lost you!" Amumu could do little but smile at her taunt. It was true, he was anything but fit, but his talents were not in the physical department. Lifting a hand into the air, he picked his partner up and dangled her in the air upside down. She let out a small squeak, before directing her rage at her friend.

"What are you doing, put me down!" Amumu just smiled.

"Actually, I kind of like you up there, just hanging around. No way you can run away from me now." He took a step closer, taking in the sight in front of him. Her name was Annaline, and they had been friends for as long as Amumu could recall. Their families had been close, and thus they had been introduced and, somewhat awkwardly for the two of them, paired together from birth. While the thought had once disturbed the two, they couldn't deny the way they felt around each other, and soon the taunts of their friends turned into compliments. She had pure, pale skin that contrasted magnificently with her bright red, almost pink, hair. She held it back with a simple band running across her head that had pointy, cat-like ears, which Amumu swore twitched every now and again. But one should never be fooled, for the cute exterior masked a rather boisterous personality. She was never one to back down from a fight, and Amumu could even recall several occasions when she had stepped in to get him out of a sticky encounter.

Her eyes were her most tantalizing aspect however, beautiful green orbs that seemed almost out of proportion to the rest of her face. They refracted the light into tiny rainbows around her cheeks, the polished glassiness of them acting as a sort-of mirror. Her lips in contrast were small and soft, complimented by an equally cute nose, which Amumu couldn't resist putting a soft kiss upon. Her cheeks instantly flushed a bright red as she struggled to break Amumu's magical grasp, but having had his fun he instead let her float harmlessly to the ground. She punched him in the shoulder.

"That was a dirty little trick you pulled there!" Amumu, somewhat disheartened at her response, was about to protest before she planted her own kiss on him, this time aiming for his lips. They stumbled back a little before he regained his footing, holding her back.

"What was that!?" Annaline just smiled, enjoying the sensation of their first proper kiss. Annaline never would have thought she would fall for someone like Amumu. Unlike most of her friend's, Amumu's skin was a slightly more pale, like her own. He had a rather large crop of black hair upon his head, which he brushed back with his hand every now and again, only to have it fall back in the same position. He was a little taller than her, much to her displeasure, but his features were anything but intimidating. His face was one of unquestionable kindness, smile lines already present on the youthful face. His eyes seemed almost to glow, his hazel iris containing obvious pigments of a golden yellow, which gave him this almost otherworldly, angelic look.

Annaline let herself fall to the ground in the small clearing, Amumu joining her, still a little dumbstruck from what had just happened. Her eyes turned to the sky, her brow creasing a little. Amumu noticed the small gesture.

"What's wrong?" She pointed towards a section of dark sky. To emphasize her point, the sound of thunder could be heard.

"I wasn't aware there was going to be a storm."

"There shouldn't be, there was no storm brewing earlier." The two looked at each other a little concerned, but dismissed the unnatural occurrence.

"We'd best be getting back then." Annaline said while standing up. Her eyes scanned the surrounding woods, looking for a familiar path. Panic started to set in as she realised she couldn't figure out where she had come from.

"Amumu, which way did we come from." He scoffed, pointing behind him.

"That way." But as he turned, he found he was pointing at an impenetrable section of woodland, clearly not the way they had come. Then he heard the laugh that would haunt him for many years to come. It was a deep, throaty sound that seemed to echo through the surrounding forest, coming from all sides at the same time. Thunder cracked and it started to rain, the distant storm not so different anymore, moving far faster than any storm should. Something was very wrong.

Amumu and Annaline ran, rushing headlong into the only path that was clear in the forest. There were no trees in their way, which made the two feel as though their fortunes were turning. But the whole time they ran the laughter followed them, and soon they could make out the sound of movement in the surrounding trees, even though they could not see it. Abruptly, the path stopped, the two yordles standing before a small shrine. At the base was a pair of masks all to familiar to a citizen of Valoran, and as Annaline gasped and turned to run, she came face to face with the white figure all mortals feared. The creature was covered in white fur, and carried with her a ghastly blue bow, arrow already notched and ready to fire. She wore a dark blue mask to cover her features, not that anyone who beheld them would ever live to talk about it. This was Lamb, the image of mercy, one half of the Kindred. The laughter echoed again, and this time a ghastly shade like creature jumped out of the trees, cutting them off on the other side. This creature had no true body, but again wore a mask upon its face. Wolf was Lamb's foil, where she was merciful and understanding, he was hungry and malicious, death reeking from his magical form. Kindred calmly lowered her bow, speaking in a soft, almost reassuring voice.

"Two more souls have reached their end, dear Wolf."

"Two more bodies to feed my hunger." Annaline was hyperventilating, her body beginning to quake at the realisation of her end. Lamb approached her, lifting her head to look into her eyes.

"Why do you cry young one? Life is meaningless without death. Consider it a courtesy that we bring it to you now." Amumu screamed, using his magic to throw Lamb back as she landed gracefully on her feet. Wolf was upon him in a second, the shadowy form blinding him as he playfully nipped at his heals.

"They like to play little lamb…"

"… Though it will do them no good." She looked at Annaline, who was still petrified.

"I offer you the choice first my dear. Accept your fate and take my arrow…

"… Or try to run, and face my teeth!" Wolf growled enthusiastically, baring his teeth as if to emphasize his desire. Annaline looked to Amumu, desperate for any solution he could provide. For the first time in his life, there was nothing he could do to fix things, and Annaline saw this in his face. She ran a hand along his cheek before stepping forward to Lamb.

"Amumu, I Lo…"

Lamb's arrow pierced her straight through the heart, and her lifeless body slumped to the floor, eliciting a terrible scream from the male yordle. Wolf laughed maniacally as he sniffed the still warm body, teeth bared, but he never got the opportunity to lay so much as a tip upon the body. Amumu looked up, his eyes glazed over and now a solid yellow colour, any angelic streak long gone. Tears streamed from his face, turning into waves of magical energy that battered the landscape around him. Trees and flowers decayed, curling over into the floor. The Kindred took a step back to avoid the dark magic, Wolf growling at the act of aggression while Lamb remained her normal impassive self.

"Your friend has passed by nobly, young one. I encourage you to consider the same." But Amumu's voice refused to work, his entire being dedicated to one thought at that moment, avenging the girl he had loved. He ran head on at the pair, Lamb calmly raising her bow and firing an arrow at the yordle's heart, intending to end his life then and there. The mystical arrow stayed true, but never pierced his skin. Lamb quickly dodged to the side to avoid the rage-fuelled mage, pain coursing through her back as she felt the embodiment of his rage pass through him to her. Wolf howled, and leapt upon the yordle. The two wrestled, Amumu pummelling the cursed hunter with all the dark energy he could manage while Wolf tried repeatedly to sink his teeth into the yordle's flesh, but he could never pierce whatever dark magic protected the youth. With a sudden burst of magic, a wave of complete hatred washed over the Kindred as they were stunned in place. When the pair came back to consciousness, Amumu was gone. Wolf howled, sending any living creature for miles sprinting away. Never had someone escaped the Kindred's hunt, and that was not to stop today. Lamb, still struggling to overcome the magic she had been exposed to, sent Wolf after the yordle. Wolf just smiled his terrifying smile and set off in a blur, tracking the mage that had hurt his dear Lamb. Amumu was not aware of this, or anything for that matter, as he sped through the forest, life dying in front of him as a path of decay formed to mark his way. Only one thing seemed to process in his mind, an overwhelming sadness and agony that told him to keep running and not turn back. The forest ended abruptly at a cliff, and Amumu was forced to stop, which was all the time Wolf needed to leap upon the young yordle. They fell, tumbling over each other as they fell the distance to the floor. Wolf knew this was to be the end, unlike him the mage could not possibly survive such a fall. But as they crashed into the floor, pain erupting through Amumu's body, he found once again the strength to pick himself up and keep running. Wolf again made chase, unable to do anything but marvel at the shear power the dark mage possessed.

The hunt lasted for many days, Wolf frequently making an attempt to end the cursed life, and every time Amumu would pull himself up and keep running. The forest had ended long ago, and soon the pair raced along the scorched plains of the Shurima desert. Amumu took another hasty step forward, and this time felt his foot sink into the ground holding him in place. Part of him conceded then, the last of his dark energy leaving his body as he slumped onto the ground and waited for Wolf to finish what he had begun. The shadow took some time to catch up, having fallen behind the simply impossible pace the mage had set. He smiled upon seeing the limp form on the ground.

"None escape my hunt foolish boy. Now you will join your friend in death." The image of Annaline's limp body passed before his eyes, and the final words she had tried to mutter echoed in his head. He felt the dark energy return, and soon he felt his entire being losing control, as his very essence was replaced by something dark and unstable. When Wolf lunged, Amumu caught his jaw in his magical grasp. Turning to the shade, Amumu spoke with a distant voice that seemed to belong to anyone but him. He laughed, a deep sound with enough pain to match the horror that was Wolf's.

"Now the hunt begins." He squeezed his grasp, watching as Wolf writhed in pain on the sand floor. The heartache he felt served to amplify the magic, and soon the tortured screams of death echoed through the Shuriman wasteland. Amumu spent all his energy on this, before his body gave way and, his mind shattered and broken, his body collapsed, almost lifeless. Wolf slowly pulled himself together, looking at the limp body. Never before had Wolf been beaten on his hunt, and the shame he felt at this occurrence was too much for him to handle. He could not bring himself to finish the creature that had matched death at its own game, and instead left the shattered wreck of a body to slowly burn and sink into the wasteland.

But alas this is not the end of Amumu's tragic story. As Amumu sank into the sand around him, the dark energy that had overcame his very soul worked to protect him. Solidifying, it slowly wrapped itself around his tiny limbs and kind features, covering the damaged, broken body from the outside world until one day it could rise again. After many centuries, such a time came, and Amumu's eyes shot open, only to be slammed shut again upon seeing the blinding sun. He stood, stumbling a little with the little use his legs had received, but a sudden warmth flushed through him and suddenly he had the strength to not only stand, but walk, and walk he did. He let his legs carry him the way they desired, his mind still trying to recall anything it could, from family to simple moments. But all that was there was pain and fear, a pain that originated within his chest and echoed it's agony throughout his body, and a fear that caused him to constantly turn to look behind him, shadowy figures dancing in the edges of his eyes. Before he could control it, he was crying, tears staining the sand beneath him as his legs continued with a mind of their own. That night he eventually collapsed, his body demanding rest, and so he slept. Yet even his dreams weren't untouched, and a voice filled his mind with a dark, taunting satisfaction.

"You will join your friend in death." The same line seemed to repeat itself a hundred times over every second, even though Amumu could not remember whose voice it was or what friend he had lost. Again all he felt was pain and agony, and in the following days depression set in as stress and trauma played his mind to the point of madness. He forgot even the words the original voice had stated, instead replaced with shorter, easier to comprehend lines; Death and friend.

Thus continued Amumu's life for some years. He wandered wherever his body willed him, leaving a trail of agony in his path as his sorrows and hardships washed over those with a life yet to live. Yordles, men, trolls, all fell victim to his curse, and soon every child in Valoran knew the story of the cursed mummy boy.

Yet there is a light in this dark story, and just as Amumu was sinking to the point of no return, a familiar voice cut through his depressive state, though he could not tell how he knew it.

"Don't suppose you'd like to play?" The voice had come from a young human girl, pink hair tied back neatly with a band which housed a pair of cat ears. Her eyes seemed large, the green iris striking something new into Amumu's mind, something he was sure he had never felt before. Her features were soft and welcoming, but the way her hands were alight with flame gave the impression she was not as soft beneath the surface. She brushed her hands upon her skirt, walking towards Amumu and extending her hand.

"I'm Annie, who are you?" Annie. The name felt so familiar to Amumu, but he could not understand why. The face of this human, the way she smiled, the aura she emitted, resonated within Amumu, and for this first time in centuries, he found himself expressing something other than sadness.

"I'm Amumu." She smiled kindly.

"That's a nice name Amumu. You seem lonely, come, I'll introduce you to Tibbers!" Amumu found himself dragged away, and into a chance of redemption and reconciliation. From a nearby hill, Lamb and Wolf looked on curiously. Wolf growled as Amumu disappeared from his sight, the memories of his own pain and weakness washing over him as he recalled that fateful day.

"The survivor does not know the risk he poses."

"If only we could warn her little Lamb."

"Or him dear Wolf. His fate is just as doomed." Lamb felt an unquestionable sorrow in that moment; regret almost making its way to her heart.

"If only we could help you survivor, for we understand your loneliness, but…"

"Stay away! His magic knows nothing but pain." Lamb was still left wondering whom Wolf's warning was for, but alas their duty called to them. With that the pair took off on their hunt, leaving the youth they had shattered, cursed with death's voice, to a young pyromancer, who would eventually change his fate.


End file.
